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Recommended Items
Spells:
Smite
Ignite
Items
Ability Order
Umbra Blades (PASSIVE)
Nocturne Passive Ability
Introduction

This guide is meant to help you create your own
Nocturne, as opposed to making you follow my example, so do not just look at the cheat sheet, but learn from the guide to make your own playstyle.

spaceHi! I'm Luze and this is my first guide on Mobafire. My English is not perfect, so please pardon any mistakes and PM me to fix it as needed. Also, please don't downvote without reading a thing because of my weird choices in masteries and summoner spells. All up/down votes with useful comments and constructive criticisms are appreciated.
spaceAlso I noted that most guides are for


spaceEver since season 2, I have been playing TT practically my whole career, and start playing ranked on early preseason 3, only touching summoner's rift(or proving ground, for that matter) when my friends bid me to do so.

:))

spaceThis guide will be updated constantly, so please come back every once in a while to check the changes, mainly aiming to make it easier to read/understand and add things I might have missed.
spaceI start out LoL around the time
Lulu was out, and I start as a mage, namely
Xerath,
Vladimir,
Ryze and guess what? I failed epicly at them. A week after my start,
Nocturne becomes free and I tried him. Works wonder. He's a champion with a low skill requirement but high skill cap, meaning even someone new to him can play him well and pros can have fun and be technical with some of his play.
:))
:))
spaceMy first time on
Twisted Treeline is when I got bored from
Summoner's Rift and decided to check things out to discover a whole another world. That time, the map was a mini version of SR with a much faster pace. Because of the setup of the map, casters and carries are barely viable because the game enters ganking phase before they can even get their core and tanks and bruisers are roaming around because of their early game and snowball capabilities, forming a public meta of 1 tank 2 bruisers. This is until the riot decided to change some TT items.
spaceThe two maps became two different games then. This only lasted when season 3 approached. Mages are now highly viable again and strange builds became viable, like Hybrid Damage AS
Lulu. Now we have to be much more careful around casters and magic resist items become widely used again in TT.
:))
:))
spaceAs of date, I have over 1000 normal games with
Nocturne and have played many alternate styles before coming up with this, so I dare say I'm experienced to a level.





:))

spaceMy first time on


spaceThe two maps became two different games then. This only lasted when season 3 approached. Mages are now highly viable again and strange builds became viable, like Hybrid Damage AS

:))

spaceAs of date, I have over 1000 normal games with

:)
*CAUTION: Before I start, Please do note that this is a "Personal Playstyle", and not a "Must Follow Guide". I will give you a hand in finding your style, but not strictly saying that "YOU MUST DO THIS AND NOT DO THIS", any "must" in this guide is just an expression/exaggeration to say how important I think it is. This is NOT the only way to play
*CAUTION: Before I start, Please do note that this is a "Personal Playstyle", and not a "Must Follow Guide". I will give you a hand in finding your style, but not strictly saying that "YOU MUST DO THIS AND NOT DO THIS", any "must" in this guide is just an expression/exaggeration to say how important I think it is. This is NOT the only way to play
Nocturne in
Twisted Treeline.*
:)
:)
This will also be a long guide, so please bear with it.
spaceI understand that my choices of items, masteries and summoner spells are a bit weird, this is true, it came from experimenting and researching. Both my play style, Runes, Masteries are from countless trials and errors to find what would make me play best as, well, me. I'll explain these weird choices one by one.
:)
:)
- Why no
Flash???
spaceBecause of map's size, speed, and rapid ganks, you either die anyway after flashing or have your flash on cooldown when you need it. I'm not sayingFlash is bad, many of my friends perform cool assassinations and great escapes with flash. Take it if you feel like it.
:) - I didn't hear you say jungle! Why
Smite?!?
spaceNo, I do not jungle but i needSmite. Please refer to my gameplay section for more information. When not using
Flash,
Smite can make you get ahead of your opponent in gold and exp.
:) - What
Trinity Force?!?
spaceYes I know,Trinity Force is a weird choice on a non spammer but if you tweak how you press your skills a little, you can proc it several times in a fight(item skills does count toward the proc). It also gives all the stats nocturne need, providing Health, Mana, Attack Damage, Attack Speed, Movespeed, a nice proc, and sticking power with
Phage boost. Ability Power on this item may be wasted, but that tiny bit of boost on
Unspeakable Horror helped me finish my target more than once.
:) Grez's Spectral Lantern?
spaceCorrect, THETwisted Treeline lantern. This is an absurdly strong early game item that grants you all the stats you need to do everything you need plus vision from the active to reduce death rate from face checking and render your opponent unable to juke
Paranoia. As a tip, this beats BF sword in a one on one duel. Oh, and unlike
Summoner's Rift lantern,
The Lightbringer actually offers great dueling potential.
:)- No
Sunfire Aegis?
spaceNo, while it is a cheap item to get and the magic dps certainly is useful, to me, this is a weaker version ofRanduin's Omen. Because the size of
Twisted Treeline, you'll likely aggro jungle mobs and reveal your ambush with this item. To trade
Randuin's Omen's slow for this is not worth it.
- Why no
Ravenous Hydra?
spaceTo me, the item is not efficient enough onTwisted Treeline. That much gold for AoE attacks are just not worth it. Firstly, when farming, a combination of Nocturn's
Duskbringer and
Umbra Blades already did the job on the minions, you absolutely do not need
Tiamat's passive for this, and secondly, there are only 3 opponents on the map, the passive and active, for that matter, will be less efficient in team fights. You should be focusing on stray squishies in the back anyway. 31/3/2014 note: Never, no matter how much I test it,
Ravenous Hydra is not worth it on
Twisted Treeline
Nocturne. As a replacement for
Blade of the Ruined King, the damage output(even when taking hitting multiple enemies at once into consideration) is too low and you never really find a good chance to abuse the active. As a final slot, it pales in comparison to the burst of
Trinity Force and the penetrative power of
Last Whisper.

*IMPORTANT*
spaceSince there are so many Nocturne guides out there, I will try not to tell you the same thing others did. This >>here<< is not only a very good







:))
*IMPORTANT*

spaceIn







:))

spaceHe is most effective when playing as a top laner, since he can take nearly any enemy 1v1 if you use his


:)
Short Summary:
- He's great 1v1 if you know your opponent. Even
Darius and
Jax will fall if you keep your calm.
- His jungle clear speed is above average, there are faster champs, but he's still good.
- He can deal both burst damage via
Duskbringer into
Umbra Blades and sustained damage via
Duskbringer trail with
Shroud of Darkness Attack Speed boost.
- With my playstyle, he both deal tons of damage and can take quite a punishment.
- He is actually extremely flexible, being able to play in at least 5 different styles(look around mobafire) with different itemization and do perfectly well in all of them. Of course there's more weird builds, like magic DPS, Full MS, Anti tank, Anti caster etc.

- He has no instant hard CC, tho this is not as serious in
Twisted Treeline.
- Despite his rushing ability, he is actually prone to kiting. I once got kited by
Caitlyn and
Ashe when I got my guard down, thinking they'll be scared when I approach.
- If not careful, he stood no chance against the likes of
Malphite and
Singed 1v1.
- Needs to be technical against real duelist like
Olaf,
Jax,
Fiora. Head on fights against these 1v1 specialists are stupid anyway.
- He is still mana hungry even with the pseudo manafont of
Twisted Treeline map if you're not careful.
Most of the runes are self-explanatory.
:))
Masteries are another story, while most are understandable, I know some of my choices are a bit weird. I take these instead of going deeper in either tree.
Greater Mark of Attack Speed for early attack speed.
Greater Seal of Armor for early armor and easier time with jungle mobs.
Greater Glyph of Scaling Magic Resist for mages, which have become much more viable since season 3.
- Greater Quintessence of Armor Penetration will let you do near true damage to jungle mobs and these synergize well with
Last Whisper during late game.
Greater Quintessence of Movement Speed will kick your movespeed up a level, allowing you to make more escapes and net vital kills when you and your opponent got the same tier boots. This will even allow you to keep up with some champs with boots even without one.[/color]

Masteries are another story, while most are understandable, I know some of my choices are a bit weird. I take these instead of going deeper in either tree.
-
Block and
Unyielding are absolute musts for someone who wants to pressure the enemy 1v1. A total of 4 damage reduction each basic attack will let you outdamage many enemies.
-
Double-Edged Sword actually is an okay choice, however, since he needs to absorb more damage than you think, you should consider it carefully.
-
Evasion is simply too good to miss. You should have an idea how most magic damage from champion comes in the form of AOE,
Noxious Trap,
Final Spark,
Trueshot Barrage are just some examples.
Fleet of Foot is also a must on someone who relies on mobility, and
Nocturne is one.
What I would use:
spaceMy choices are







:)
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() :)) |

I will never use:
spaceWhile you may pick any summoner spells you like, some are not so good idea when used on


:)
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() :) :) :) |
![]() ![]() :)) :)) |
Combine the above Skills and Itemization, the combos you use will be:
-
into
, use
to block something, preferably CC, then start autoattacking. Save
for chasing or that last bit of burst damage. Pop your
active if the enemy is retreating for an easy
should they try to juke.
could also be used on
,
, or a juking
do not forget this useful fact. Use
anytime the opponent start retreating or you're low on health. This is the basic combo in most games, which can be modified further with active items.
-
in, use
if you have it. fire
then use
on desired target.
something and autoattack the enemy to death. Should they run,
and keep attacking. Use
for the same reasons as above. This is for initiating after you got tanky.
- After you get any variant of
, time your item actives in conjunction with your skills every 2 seconds to raise your DPS.
should go first in this case, then fire
>
>
>
every 2 seconds. After that, should they run,
>
if not, autoattack for 4 seconds, then
>
the enemy should be dead, else, just beat him/her to death with autoattacks.
spaceYou can make one up to suit your playstyle,

spaceThe basic uses are exactly the same as in
Summoner's Rift, only that they will be used much more frequently because of the map's passive manafont. I will only note the notable points and their differences in
Twisted Treeline.
:)
:)
:)
:)
:)
:))
:))
spaceCheck out how to use them in sequence above if you haven't since you need items to pull off a full combo. During early fights, just do what a normal
Nocturne do,
into
, pop
if you have it and use
for chasing after you hit level 6.


:)
![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |

spaceCheck out how to use them in sequence above if you haven't since you need items to pull off a full combo. During early fights, just do what a normal






Starting Item
spaceI know there are alternatives, but if you wish to stick to my playstyle, these are musts. These set up, coupled with my runes&masteries make my early gameplay possible.
:)
:)
![]() |
I no longer take boots as a starting since flask will give you the exact thing a ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |

Early Game
spaceTake tier 2 boots and

:)
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Get this, or any other Tier 2 boots you see fit on your first ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
This, readers, is a must. It gives a great combination of AD and Armor, and is quite cheap. In a wardless map like ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |

Mid Game
spaceRight after those, focus on early damage and late survivability.

:)
![]() |
My favorite item ever since preseason 3 to now. The thing for it is that 5% damage of opponent's remaining health every hit, this combined with the 40% attack speed it gives can make it your only offensive item for a while until your opponent starts to build some serious armor. This with ![]() |
![]() |
If your opponent start to build some armors, upgrade your lantern into this. The passive now works with champions! This proc deals magic damage, making armor useless in blocking it. Also, rush this if the enemy ![]() |
In any order depending what you face,
but you'll eventually get them all unless the enemy is funny.
:) Take this when you need to chase. When you face something like ![]() ![]() ![]() |
:) Now that ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() :) |
:) Build it early if you face an AD champion in your lane or skip it if your opponent hit their head and somehow play an all AP team. This thing's unique passive will let you beat most auto attack champs 1v1. You will need this for ![]() :) |

Situational
spaceOnly buy these if the situation calls for it, read each Items individually on when to buy them.
:)
![]() |
This item is there for one thing, and one thing only, the passive ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
As of 3.11, ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |

If you face a CC heavy opponent
spaceSelf explanatory. Get them if you face a team with high Crowd Control abilities.
:)
:) Immediately take this. If you wait, it might be too late to recover. Simply press it when you're stunned or heavily slowed will save you and your team. Also good to buy against casters. :) :) |
:) Then build it into this later in the game, preferably late game. The attack speed and CDR is a small increase in power, but ![]() ![]() |

When fed early on
spaceIf you're fed early, pick these then go for the tower and end the game quickly before the enemy can recover.
:)
:) Grab this. It gives no offensive stats, but the proc will allow you to melt towers and squishies(there should be a lot if you're fed) in a flash. The mana will help you continue your reign since you have pseudo Mana Font(the same thing found in ![]() ![]() :) |
:) Then build it into this. I would get this later for endgame anyway, but if you somehow got fed and have loads of gold, go for it. Trinity force gives a boost to ALL stats a ![]() ![]() |

Lategame
spaceIf you make it here, you either have won halfway or are on the brink of destruction. Finish all your previous items and pick a finisher, preferably a


:)
![]() ![]() |
I know it is weird for these to appear here. I pick ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Just like its required items, in any order depending on what you face.
:) Finish what you started. This item gives you 2 Spell Shields, which will stop a caster dead cold if used correctly. The Health and regeneration passive on it will allow you to continue fights longer than you think you would. Just don't cast ![]() :) |
:) The best thing against AD carries, actually the best thing against all AD champs. It got a strong unique active that is useful even against non AD champs, Healths are welcomed too. The duration on the active actually scales with Armor and Magic Resist, which you should have plenty with my build, so you have another reliable CC in your hand! :) |
![]() |
Unless you got it when fed, get this last as you might need the tankiness first. More tankiness, damage overall, and movespeed to finish your job makes it a perfect final slot item. |
![]() |
This item works well for a last slot if you find your enemy(ies) full of armor items, or you can even get this earlier by midgame if you predicted a lot of armor. It is actually a good idea to sell ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Take one of these depending on your style. Normally I'll take ![]() ![]() ![]() |

Elixirs
spaceAfter you got all your items, the rest of your gold go to these elixirs.





:))

Item Summary
spaceJust let me note that Movespeed IS important for



:))

spaceIt all depends on the situation. One match you need one thing, another it is useless. Also, you have to buy what you need depending on the situation, this is true for both


Style: Jungling Top
spaceThis is what I do and what I don't not do, it is what works best for me, which may not be for you. You will have to find what works for you on your own, but you can take mine as a guide and a head start to not have to go through what I did.
:)
Before I start...
I need to explain that, when I play

- Go bottom, I'll take top and always will. This is a must for my action. I need to pressure top lane and have quick access to the jungle. Jungle camps are easier to reach from top lane.
- Unless I want to gank, I want my allies to push hard so that bot will not gank top(if they somehow do, destroy their turret) and when they pushed to the turret, one or both of them go jungle to create false MiAs. I will do the same to my lane to create a real
Paranoia on the enemy team.
- To usually check the brushes under the top lane(especially the one on whatever side you're on). This is the usual ambush spot.
- To prioritize safety over kills(but take the kills if opportunity present itself!!). In
Twisted Treeline, if somebody get fed, it is harder to stop them than in
Summoner's Rift, because there's only 3 people to stop said person as opposed to 5 in
Summoner's Rift, the snowball effect is greater and harder to stop here.
- Everyone may, and will take the jungle mobs whenever they have the chance, eg. when they pushed their lane to the turret, when they need that last 100 gold, when they need to recover and such. This will get my team an advantage in gold and experience and utilize jungle resources to the fullest(they won't be stealing my exp at all, jungle camps respawn fast enough and I also have my lane).
- Since we can do it, they can too. Be sure to verify each MiA carefully before calling, false MiAs can cost vital kills and the game.
:)
Early game
spaceGrab a



:))
:))

After the 1:40 mark, run to where the Wraith Camp is, aim your ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |

:))









:))
spaceAfter this, push your lane like mad, but watch out for ganks from bottom lane. Should you feel unsafe, retreat. If you're high on health, tell your friends to check the brush right under top lane, if there's someone, perform a pincer attack counter gank, else, go take the



:))
:))

When you're in lane and wish to ![]() |

:))
spaceKeep pushing your lane and only kill if the opportunity calls for it, do not make risky moves unless you know what you're doing, then head to the jungle to clear camps until your lane has been pushed back, this is your chance to kill your lane opponent, if not, repeat. You should tell your bottom lane to be passive if you want to gank, and to be aggressive if you are approaching for the kill. Invade enemy jungle as needed since you need to leave some jungle camps on your side for your team so they can farm their share too.
:)
Mid game
spaceBy "midgame", I meant to say "When you got your




:))
:))

When you face him, ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |

:))
spaceNow continue playing as normal. Even if you're a bit behind the enemy, you should be able to net yourself some kills if you're careful and analytic. Take enemy's altar when you have the chance and protect yours. Try to damage enemy turret even only by a bit, turrets do not regenerate and will be destroyed in time, get a

:))
:))











:))
Late game
spaceAgain, by saying "lategame", it is when you finished




:))
:))

Procing Sheen |
I think this deserves a mini section. When fighting with any variant of ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |

:))
spaceI do not think I need to explain the rest, just end the game and don't toy with enemies. They can and will recover if you don't finish them when you have the chance, and you'll regret it.
2/3/2013 Updated the information on
Blade of the Ruined King. This makes
Vilemaw go down even faster!!
15/3/2013 Today is
Nocturne's Birthday!(the day of his release) HBD to him!!
23/3/2013 Ever since the price change on
Blade of the Ruined King was implemented, it has been tested that
Spellsword
is no longer worth taking since you will rush sheen much less often. Masteries updated.
5/4/2013 New section added : How to make your
Nocturne. This section is still under construction.
21/5/2013
Spellsword
properly removed from the guide. It is still viable, but not worth mentioning anymore.
2/8/2013 Item update : Many magic resist items are tweaked. Updated the guide accordingly. Also removed nearly never used items from the guide.
20/8/2013 A minor clean up and changes to pay more respect to the guides I used as references. Also removed the discontinued "How to make your
Nocturne" section, I may re-add it later if I have the motivation, information, and time to do experiments that is.
5/9/2013 Item update :
Trinity Force has been updated, now it is even better on
Nocturne.
2/10/2013 Minor cleanup : Some information are outdated. Cleaned.
8/12/2013 I have updated the guide to make it compatible for S4, however, I have yet to go deep in detail since it is still pre-season. I will update the guide once everything have become stable.
20/12/2013 Another minor cleanup : Some old information leftovers still remains in the guide, if you find more, please do notice me.
27/12/2013 Added information about
Ravenous Hydra and why I'll never take it, at least not on
Nocturne.
15/3/2014 Again, this is
Nocturne's birthday, HBD to him!
25/3/2014 It seems many have accepted
Ravenous Hydra on
Nocturne, I am still against it, so there is no update to the guide, but I will start gathering data from today on to prove it's value on
Twisted Treeline
Nocturne.
31/3/2014 Never, no matter how much I test it,
Ravenous Hydra is not worth using on
Twisted Treeline
Nocturne. There might be a specific method/build to use it though.
22/4/2014 I totally forgot to update
Mercurial Scimitar into
Dervish Blade. I rarely get
Quicksilver Sash myself, but still think it is a valuable item.
16/6/2014 Some minor clean up. And yes, I know the gameplay section needs to be updated as the jungle mobs' change in health really does affect this guide in a hard way, but I have yet to find a good solution to address this problem. The strength of my playstyle is the over-leveling-overwhelming part, so it's not like I can just ditch the jungle part either. There has to be a way, I am looking into it now.


15/3/2013 Today is

23/3/2013 Ever since the price change on


5/4/2013 New section added : How to make your

21/5/2013

2/8/2013 Item update : Many magic resist items are tweaked. Updated the guide accordingly. Also removed nearly never used items from the guide.
20/8/2013 A minor clean up and changes to pay more respect to the guides I used as references. Also removed the discontinued "How to make your

5/9/2013 Item update :


2/10/2013 Minor cleanup : Some information are outdated. Cleaned.
8/12/2013 I have updated the guide to make it compatible for S4, however, I have yet to go deep in detail since it is still pre-season. I will update the guide once everything have become stable.
20/12/2013 Another minor cleanup : Some old information leftovers still remains in the guide, if you find more, please do notice me.
27/12/2013 Added information about


15/3/2014 Again, this is

25/3/2014 It seems many have accepted




31/3/2014 Never, no matter how much I test it,



22/4/2014 I totally forgot to update



16/6/2014 Some minor clean up. And yes, I know the gameplay section needs to be updated as the jungle mobs' change in health really does affect this guide in a hard way, but I have yet to find a good solution to address this problem. The strength of my playstyle is the over-leveling-overwhelming part, so it's not like I can just ditch the jungle part either. There has to be a way, I am looking into it now.
spaceThank you for reading this far, and feel free to leave a comment or PM me for whatever it is, just be constructive if it's a criticism, I do not like reading insults(but will read them, in case they contain something constructive) and yes, please tell me if you have an idea on how to improve this guide. I am willing to make this a guide for everyone new to/wishing to improve themselves at
Twisted Treeline and those seeking to gather informations.
spaceAs I stated, this is NOT the only way to play
Nocturne in
Twisted Treeline, he is a very flexible champion which can be modified to suit any person's playstyle.
:))
Go build your own
:))
SPECIAL THANKS:

spaceAs I stated, this is NOT the only way to play


:))

Go build your own
Nocturne and if you'd like to, tell me about it:) you can even ask for advice
if you need one in making your unique
Nocturne.
I will make a section for any dedicated, viable, and creative
Nocturne<3
Thank you!

SPECIAL THANKS:
- jhoijhoi for the template, which you can find here
- PsiGuard's guide, for helping me shape my early
Nocturne(which, I know, is nothing like this but it is still worth mentioning), the guide can be found here.
- Aseafy for noting me of some of my mistakes, I appreciate more people like this. I also used his Twisted Treeline guide in this guide.
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